fetterman



July 16, 1 R. A. FETTERMAN. JR MECHANISM FOR SPINNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1962 ATTORNEYS y 1963 R. A. FETTERMAN, JR 3,097,476

' MECHANISM FOR SPINNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1962 INVENTOR Ka y/1. ft'farmmJz g? m a United States Patent 3,097,476 MEKIHANESM FOR SPINNING Roy A. Fetter-man, Jr., Lafayette Hills, Pa., assignor to Vara-Trol Inc, Ambler, Pa., a corporation of Pennsyl- Vania Filed June 14, 1962, Ser. No. 202,415 3 Claims. (Cl. 57-110) The present invention relates to improvements in spinning frames for spinning on the woolen system, and particularly to improvements in that portion of a woolen system spinning frame which is engaged in actual spinning or twisting and forming a package on a bobbin.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 144,671, filed October 12, 1961, now abandoned, for Mechanism for Spinning.

A further purpose of the invention is to improve the quality of yarn spun on the woolen system.

A further purpose is to reduce the breakage of ends in spinning on the woolen system.

A further purpose is to permit operating a higher speeds when spinning on the woolen system.

A further purpose is to reduce the amount of fly produced when spinning on the woolen system.

A further purpose is to permit spinning with lighter travellers.

A further purpose is to get a better yield of yarn.

A further purpose is to spin a loftier yarn which will give a better coverage in the face of the pile fabric.

A further purpose is to give better control of the tension of yarn in spinning.

A further purpose is to avoid the necessity of auxiliary equipment such as balloon control rings and in some cases to avoid the need for separators.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings 1 have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which my invention may appear, selecting the form shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a spinning frame according to the invention, showing the spindle and bobbin relatively at the top of its traverse and the thread guide at the top of its traverse.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the bobbin near the bottom of its traverse and the thread guide correspondingly near the bottom of its traverse.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view partly broken away showing a spinning frame of the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary end elevation of FIG- URE 3 at the position indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 3, and showing the thread guides in horizontal position.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 showing the thread guides moved in unison toward vertical posi- I tion.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary front elevation of the thread guide support of FIGURE 4 at the position of the line 66 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary front elevation of the thread guide support of FIGURE 5 at the position of the line 77 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective showing the thread guide mounted on the thread guide support.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

In normal spinning according to the woolen system, the roving is guided by a thread guide and then by a traveller which moves around a ring and guides the rov- 3,097,476 Patented July 16, 1963 ing to a bobbin mounted on a spindle. The ring is vertically stationary and the bobbin traverses vertically.

Difiiculty has been caused because the roving in passing downward from the thread guide to the traveller in many cases forms a large enough balloon so that it will strike against adjacent parts of the equipment such as the separator between two spindles. This abrading or striking action causes a number of difficulties.

In the first place, this may cause inferior quality of the yarn by producing variation in tension and also by directly damaging the yarn and producing fiy.

The unevenness in tension may result in unevenness in the yarn itself.

The difficulty becomes more pronounced in spinning fine yarn and may actually provide a limitation in the fineness of yarn that can be spun on a particular spinning frame.

The difiiculty due to breakage may actually cause a limitation in speed of spinning.

The repair of broken ends increases the cost and in some cases may become so serious as to interfere with spinning a particular yarn.

The common corrective measure has been the use of balloon control rings. The balloon control rings are, however, in the way, since they interfere with dofiing, piecing up broken ends, and in some cases they have required an increase in the size of the traveller. Also the improvement in quality of the yarn from. the use of balloon control rings has not been marked.

The present invention is concerned with overcoming difiiculties due to ballooning and extreme tension. In accordance with the invention, the guiding of the roving which forms the balloon is varied at opposite ends of the traverse of the bobbin with respect to the ring. Thus when the bobbin is high with respect to the ring, the roving is guided quite close to the top of the bobbin so as to restrict the balloon. When, on the other hand, the bobbin is low with respect to the ring the guiding of the roving is high with respect to the top of the bobbin so as to preserve more of the balloon. Thus there is a relative increase in uniformity of tension by increasing the uniformity of the balloon while at the same time restricting the balloon when it otherwise would be largest and thus reducing the possibility of damage to the roving.

In accordance with the invention, it has been found possible to improve the quality of the yarn which can be obtained since the yarn is not subjected to such serious damage by impact of the balloon against the separators.

In actual experiments comparing the device of the invention to a spinning frame without balloon control rings, the number of ends down was reduced by the invention by 40%, and at certain higher speeds it Was impossible to spin certain counts of yarn without the use of the device.

Also by experiment it has been found that the amount of fly and waste was reduced to about half compared to the spinning frame running without the device. This is beneficial in cutting down on the requirement for cleaning the spinning frame, economic losses and fire hazard.

It has also been found that the spinning frame can be run without separators when employing the invention.

The invention makes it possible to obtain equal or better quality yarn at increased speeds.

In spinning according to the invention, the need for heavier travellers is reduced. A wide range of yarn counts can be spun using the lightest of travellers. Thus whereas a 20 grain traveller would in normal practice be used to spin 9/10 run yarn, it has been found that with the present invention a 14 grain traveller will produce a firm package.

This saves in inventory of travellers and in delay to change travellers, also prolongs the ring life, and materially reduces traveller cost.

Since the fly and waste are cut down, a better yield of yarn is obtained and the yarn is loftier and has fewer imperfections.

The device of the invention makes it easier to doif, particularly since balloon rings are not necessary and the thread guide can readily be taken out of the way.

In the present invention, at the beginning of the doif as shown in FIGURE 1, the thread guide is as close as possible to the top of the bobbin as it can be without danger of interference with the bobbin. Thus, the thread guide is above the vertically stationary ring by a distance equal in height of the bobbin plus 1 /2 to 2 /2 inches, or preferably 2 inches.

At the end of the doif as shown in FIGURE 2. the thread guide has moved vertically downward to a position as close to the vertically stationary ring as it can without creating excessive tension on the roving. This means that at the end of the doff the thread guide is between 4 or 5 inches above the vertically stationary ring.

Considering now the drawings in detail, a woolen spinning frame is illustrated which has at each spindle position a spindle 20 which traverses up and down and mounts thereon a bobbin 21 in vertical position and having any well known contour. The bobbin is suitably flanged or broadened near the bottom at 22 and has a suitable bead at the top at 23.

Surrounding the bobbin is a vertically stationary ring 24 which at all times is around the bobbin during operation and which mounts a traveller 25 of Well known character which moves around the ring as well known. The traveller guides roving 26 which is wound on the bobbin as well known in the art.

The roving 26 comes down to a thread or lappet guide 27 which is centrally located above the bobbin and conveniently comprises a helical wire loop 28 at the outer end and a body 30 which is mounted as by a set screw to pivot pin 31 (FIGURE 8) which is secured and pivots in barrel 32 on a collar 33 located at each spindle position on a thread guide support shaft 34 which extends the length of the machine behind the bobbins.

The thread guide support shaft 34 at each end is journalled in a bracket 35 every 5 to 7feet, which surrounds and slides on a vertical guide 36 mounted at the top on the frame 37 by a collar 38 secured to the frame and an- 7 choring the guide 36 by set screw 4%, and secured at the bottom to the frame 41 by block 42 which receives a shank 43 and holds it by set screw 44, the shank at the outer end securing a collar 45 which anchors the guide 36 by set screw 46.

The bobbin and the ring traverse uniformly with respect to one another by well known traversing mechanism applied to the spindle and forming no part of the present invention. The traversing of the thread guide 27 is accomplished by thread guide traversing shaft 47 which extends the length of the machine behind the guides 36 and turns uniformly in synchronism with the reciprocation of the bobbin. The shaft 47 is suitably square and has a cam or cams 48 each provided with a square opening mounted thereon by clamp plate 59 secured by bolts 51.

Secured at one point 52 to the outside of each cam 48 is a flexible connection 53, here shown as a chain, the opposite end of which is secured at 54 to an abutment 55 on each support 35.

The diameter of the cam changes so that starting from the position of FIGURE 1 where the thread guides are at approximately the upper end of their stroke and the bobbins are at approximately the upper end of their stroke, as the shaft 47 turns counterclockwise the thread guides move approximately the same distance as the movement of the bobbin, during about the first third of the angular movement of the thread guide traversing shaft 47. During approximately the next third of the down Ward movement of the thread guide as determined by the next quadrant of movement of cam 48 the thread guides begin to move more slowly than the bobbins since the effective cam diameter is smaller, so that the tops of the bobbins are relatively spaced farther from the thread guides. During the last third of the angular motion of the cam and the last quadrant of angular motion of traversing shaft 47, the thread guides move even more slowly with respect to the bobbins, because the effective cam diameter is still smaller, so that there is a wide distance between the top of the bobbins and the thread guides as shown in FIGURE 2. This prevents the condition which has been serious in prior art devices that the thread guide when traversing was very close to the top of the bobbin and close to the ring near the bottom of its traversing stroke, causing the roving to bend abruptly about the thread guide at a steep angle which greatly increased the tension and greatly increased the tendency for breakage of ends.

On the reverse stroke the reverse procedure takes place.

Thus it will be evident that the ballooning 56 is held small but more uniform in size along the two extremes of motion shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 and the abruptness of the angle of outward bending of the balloon is reduced to a minimum.

Extending along the front of the spinning frame is a separator support shaft 58 which mounts separators 60 between the bobbins and permits displacement of the sepa rators outwardly.

The thread guides 27 can if desired be raised in unison without shifting them around the pivots 31 to make them move up in slots 61. This can be accomplished by turning the thread guide support shaft 34 by means of a lever 62, against the action of spring detent 63 mounted on the support 35 which has a detent pin 64 engaging in one of a succession of detent openings 65 in a collar 66 secured to shaft 34.

The thread guide support shaft 34 is biased toward the position in which the thread guides are horizontal by torsion spring 67 which is anchored to the support 35 at one end and anchored to collar 68 on shaft 34 at the other end. In operation, the roving is threaded through the thread guides and the traveller to the bobbin in the usual manner and. the spinning frame started in operation. As vertical traverse of the bob-bin at the bottom of the stroke the thread guides are farther from the top of the bobbin and do not approach the ring so closely as to cause an abrupt angle of the roving to form which would increase the tension and greatly increase the danger of breakage of the yarn.

At the same time the ballooning is well controlled and the average length of the balloon is made more uniform.

If conditions require repairing a broken end on a particular spindle, the thread guide can be swung into the upward position in the slot 61 by pivoting pivot 31 as shown in FIGURE 8, the thread guide being held up by frictional engagement in the slot and frictional engagement of the pivots.

When, however, it is desired to' doif, all of the thread guides can be swung up in unison by pulling on lever 62, turning the thread guide support shaft until the thread guides are all vertical and the shaft is held in this position by detent 63.

When it is desired to start operation on new bobbins, lever 62 can be pulled down until the thread guides are horizontal.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mechanism for spinning on the woolen system, a rotatable bobbin which is vertically movable, a vertically stationary ring around the bobbin, a traveller on the ring adapted to guide roving to the bobbin, means for moving the bobbin vertically with respect to the vertically stationary ring from a vertical position at the beginning of the dofi in which the bobbin is fully raised within the ring, to a vertical position at the end of the doff in which the bobbin is substantially withdrawn downwardly from the ring, and a thread guide above the bobbin for guiding the roving to the traveller, the roving passing from the thread guide to the traveller free from contact with the mechanism, in combination with means for relatively moving the thread guide vertically starting at the beginning of the dofi at a position in which the thread guide is relatively close to the bobbin and relatively remote from the ring, moving the thread guide first downwardly substantially with the motion of the bobbin, and toward the end of the dolf moving the thread guide downwardly more slowly than the bobbin to a position at which the thread guide is not more than 5 inches above the ring.

2. A device of claim 1, in which the means for moving the thread guide vertically comprises a thread support, vertical guide means for guiding the thread guide support as it moves up and down, a thread guide traversing shaft, and cam means interconnected between the thread guide and the thread guide traversing shaft for moving the thread guide on the vertical guide means rapidly on the earlier part of the doff and slowly at the later part of the d'off.

3. A device of claim 1, in which the thread guide at the beginning of the doff is at a point between 1- /2 and 2 /2 inches plus the height of the bobbin above the ring, and at the end of the doff is 4 to 5 inches above the ring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 819,496 Allgood May 1, 1906 1,824,788 Owen Sept. 29, 1931 1,913,616 Sailer June 13, 1933 2,357,580 Cotchett Sept. 5, 1944 2,747,360 Vella May 29*, 1956 

1. IN A MECHANISM FOR SPINNING ON THE WOOLEN SYSTEM, A ROTATABLE BOBBIN WHICH IS VERTICALLY MOVABLE, A VERTICALLY STATIONARY RING AROUND THE BOBBIN, A TRAVELLER ON THE RING ADAPTED TO GUIDE ROVING TO THE BOBBIN, A TRAVELLER ON THE RING THE BOBBIN VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE VERTICALLY STATIONARY RING FROM A VERTICAL POSITION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DOFF IN WHICH THE BOBBIN IS FULLY RAISED WITHIN THE RING TO A VERTICAL POSITION AT THE END OF THE DOFF IN WHICH THE BOBBIN IS SUBSTANTIALLY WITHDRAWM DOWNWARDLY FROM THE RING, AND A THREAD GUIDE ABOVE THE BOBBIN FOR GUIDING THE ROVING TO THE TRAVELLER, THE ROVING PASSING FROM THE THREAD GUIDE TO THE TRAVELLER FREE FROM CONTACT WITH THE MECHANISM, IN COMBINATION WITH MEANS FOR RELATIVELY MOVING THE THREAD GUIDE VERTICALLY STARTING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DOFF AT A POSITION IN WHICH THE THREAD GUIDE IS RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE BOBBIN AND RELATIVELY REMOTE FROM THE RING, MOVING THE THREAD GUIDE FIRST DOWNWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY WITH THE MOTION OF THE BOBBIN, AND TOWARD THE END OF THE DOFF MOVING THE THREAD GUIDE DOWNWARDLY MORE SLOWLY THAN THE BOBBIN TO A POSITION AT WHICH THE THREAD GUIDE IS NOT MORE THAN 5 INCHES ABOVE THE RING. 